


We Sort Of Skipped That Part

by Panic_At_The_Disney



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Related Fandoms - All Media Types
Genre: AU where Will thinks he's straight and he's very very wrong, AU where you feel your soulmate's emotions once you meet, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Anxiety, Anxiety Attacks, Eating Disorders, Exhaustion, Hurt Nico di Angelo, I just figured out how to tag and I don't know why it took this long, I'm having way too much fun with the tags, Jason and Will are bros fight me, M/M, Nico di Angelo NEEDS A BREAK, Nico di Angelo has Anxiety, Nico di Angelo has Friends, Nico di Angelo has Nightmares, Nico di Angelo has an Eating Disorder, Nico di Angelo is Bad at Feelings, Panic Attacks, Romantic Soulmates, Sleep, Sleep Deprivation, Soulmate AU, Soulmates, Soulmates Nico di Angelo/Will Solace, Soulmates Solangelo, Three Days in the Infirmary (Percy Jackson), Will Solace has Anxiety, Will Solace is a Mess, because they're in love, but that's okay, they're both kind of a mess
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-01
Updated: 2020-08-29
Packaged: 2021-03-02 04:20:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 10,001
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23949040
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Panic_At_The_Disney/pseuds/Panic_At_The_Disney
Summary: You're supposed to meet your soulmate once you're both ten.Once you meet, you feel each other's emotions, and experience each other's pain, on some level.Once you kiss, you gain the ability to decide how much of your pain your soulmate feels.But you never fully stop experiencing their pain.It's a foolproof plan. But what happens if you miss a step?-----When Nico catches word that two long-lost friends might be stuck in Tartarus again, he's willing to do anything to save them. Including stealing his first kiss from his soulmate.But plans run deep, gods are causing trouble, love is powerful, and there might be more friends stuck in Tartarus than Nico had originally thought.Will Nico be able to save all three captives? Or will the gods' crazy plans mess it all up? Good thing Nico has a plan of his own. And even better thing-- not all of the gods' plans are bad.
Relationships: Nico di Angelo/Will Solace
Comments: 52
Kudos: 110





	1. In Which Both Nico And Will Are Oblivious Idiots

**Author's Note:**

> This is not a mortal AU, because I like to torture Will.  
> Possible TWs will be at the beginning of each chapter. Be safe, please!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The pain was awful. But the worst part was that it wasn't the kind of pain that he could slap a bandage on and heal. No, because the pain was emotional, and it wasn't his. It was his soulmate's.
> 
> Which made no sense, because you weren't supposed to feel your soulmate's emotions until you've met them. But Will didn't remember ever meeting them. This wasn't how it's supposed to work.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And also in which I attempt to write several thousand words and end up posting a whopping 700
> 
> TW:  
> –Homophobia (internalised)

Will felt like exploding. **(A/N: My computer crashed and this was literally the only sentence that saved and it's weirdly fitting)**

No, seriously. The pain was _awful_. But the worst part was that it wasn't the kind of pain that he could slap a bandage on and heal. No, because the pain was emotional, and it wasn't his. It was his soulmate's.

Which made _no sense_ , because you weren't supposed to feel your soulmate's emotions until you've met them. But Will didn't remember ever meeting them. This wasn't how it's supposed to work. He hadn't left camp since before he was ten, so his soulmate had to be someone at camp. But who were they? Whoever they were, Will was worried for them.

It hurt. It hurt so bad. It felt like someone had stabbed him through the heart and then called him horrible names until he was curled up, sobbing on the floor. And then came the anger. Fiery, dangerous, deadly anger. Will had never felt anything like it before.

* * *

Nico felt like dying.

The pain was awful. He didn't know how to deal with it. It wasn't the kind of pain he could slap a bandage on and heal. No, because the pain was emotional. And it was so truly his. What _wasn't_ his was the worry he felt. Why was he worried? Bianca was _gone_ , and Percy Jackson, his hero, was standing in front of him and trying to explain how his sister died, and Nico didn't want to hear it. He was angry. So angry.

But he wasn't worried. That emotion wasn't his, which meant it was his soulmate's, which made _no sense_ , because you weren't supposed to feel your soulmate's emotions until you'd met them, and Nico didn't remember ever meeting them. This wasn't how it's supposed to work. He hadn't been at camp for more than a few weeks, and Nico hadn't really talked to that many people. But he had to have met him at some point, because he was feeling his soulmate's emotions. But who were they? Whoever they were, Nico couldn't worry about them right now.

He was so, so angry. At Percy for letting her die, at Bianca for leaving him, at The Hunters of Artemis for taking Bianca away, and at himself, for not being able to stop it.

It hurt. It hurt so bad. It felt like someone had stabbed him through the heart and then called him horrible names until he was curled up, sobbing on the floor. And then there was the anger. Fiery, dangerous, deadly anger. Nico had never felt anything like it before.

* * *

Will's soulmate was girl. They had to be, because Will was straight.

He'd never felt any attraction towards a guy, so his soulmate was a girl.

It was the way of the world.

* * *

Nico's soulmate was a girl. They had to be, because being gay was wrong, so there's no way the universe would ever let him be with another guy.

He'd never felt any attraction towards a girl, so he wouldn't feel any attraction towards his soulmate.

It was the way of the world.

* * *

Will liked the idea of soulmates. He liked knowing that somewhere out there was someone who was destined for him. They would be together forever and be so in love.

* * *

Nico didn't like the idea of soulmates. He didn't like knowing that somewhere out there was someone whom he had to love. He would never love them, because he felt the wrong things, and liked guys and not girls, and it was messed up. But they had to be together forever, even though they'd never be in love.

* * *

Will felt his own pain when he was twelve and his brother died in the war. 

He felt his soulmate's pain then, too. Loneliness and the feeling of being an outcast overwhelmed him.

* * *

Nico felt his own pain when he was twelve and Percy thought Nico betrayed him.

He felt his soulmate's pain then, too. Stress and a feeling of everyone depending on him overwhelmed him.

* * *

Will met his soulmate at fourteen. They were _not_ who he expected.


	2. In Which Nico Has Fluffy Hair, Will Has A Sexuality Crisis, And Kayla Is A Supportive QUEEN

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It took all of three seconds for Nico to start having second thoughts.
> 
> It was just...
> 
> Everyone was looking at him.
> 
> And everything was quiet.
> 
> Nico tried to turn, but found the door blocked by Will's arm.
> 
> "Don't even think about it." Will reached for him, and Nico had no choice but to duck inside the infirmary.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And also the chapter in which I say 'screw it' and switch POV whenever I want.
> 
> EDIT: I'm INCREDIBLY sorry for not putting possible TW in this chapter, so I'm gonna fix that right now. Stay safe!  
> \--References to eating disorders and undernourishment  
> \--Vomiting  
> \--Mentions of homophobia and other views that I DO NOT SHARE, just to be clear
> 
> EDIT #2:  
> Went through ad did some quick fixes on:  
> \--Line spacing  
> \--Wording  
> \--Plot inconsistencies  
> Nothing that you need to reread for, but if you notice changes, that's why :)

It took all of three seconds for Nico to start having second thoughts.

It was just...

Everyone was looking at him.

And everything was quiet.

Nico tried to turn and found the door blocked by Will's arm.

"Don't even think about it." Will reached for him, and Nico had no choice but to duck inside the infirmary.

Everyone was staring at him. Will's siblings had paused what they were doing, and the only sounds were snoring from the patients that were asleep.

"This doesn't feel right. I'm just gonna..." Nico tried again to leave, but Will grabbed his arm and started to force him away from the door, ignoring Nico's flinch.

"There's nothing wrong about an injured patient in the infirmary."

"I'm not even injured!"

Will rolled his eyes, not even bothering to reply. He led Nico to a separate hallway and opened the door to a private room. 

"This should be okay. I thought about where to put you, and I figured...since you're a private person...and it's quiet...I just--"

"Will." Nico walked into the room and sat on the edge of the bed. "This is fine. Thank--this is good." Was he seriously about to thank him? For what? _Keeping Nico captive?_

When he glanced up, Will was grinning and his face looked red. "Thanks, Death Boy." He cleared his throat. "Any physical injuries I should know about?"

Nico shrugged, hiding a wince as the werewolf scratches made themselves known. "Not that I know of."

Will nodded. "Okay. Strip."

Nico almost fell off the bed in alarm. "What the Hades, Solace?!"

Will rolled his eyes. "Not like that. Geez. I don't hit on patients. I have more self-respect than that. Usually."

Nico shrugged again. It hurt. He should really stop doing that. 

"I meant take off your shirt so I can see if you're lying about injuries."

Nico glared at him. "No."

"What do you mean, _'no'_ ?"

"I mean, no. I'm not taking off my shirt."

"Why do you have to be difficult?"

"Why do you have to be annoying?"

Will sighed. "Just take off the dang shirt, Nico."

"I said no, Will. Leave me alone."

Will stepped closer. "You do realise where you are, right? I'm allowed to tell you what to do. Take the shirt off or I will."

Nico glared at him, backing away. "No! I said no, Solace! Get away from me!"

"What are you hiding? What are you so afraid of?!"

"Rejection!" Nico shouted. "Rejection, and abandonment, and...and...you! You! Just leave me alone. I don't need your help!" He didn't know why he was telling Will this. Something about the boy made him want to spill all his secrets and then cuddle for hours. But that was ridiculous.

Will tried to come closer, expression softening. "I know you don't want to hear this," Will began softly, "but yes. You do need my help. And that's okay. But you have to let me help you," Will pleaded.

"Not with this. You can't help me with this."

They weren't talking about the werewolf scratches anymore.

"Just..." Nico lay back on the bed, looking at the ceiling instead of Will. "Just leave me alone for now."

There was silence for a minute. "I'll bring you some food," Will said softly. He left the room.

Nico hadn't meant to fall asleep, honest. He fully planned to wait until Will got back, and then maybe apologize. Maybe. 

But instead, he fell asleep, and almost immediately was trapped in a dream.

* * *

_Nico was six. His mama had just caught him holding hands with another boy._

_"Is he your father?" His mama asked._

_"No, of course not," Nico replied._

_"Is he your brother?"_

_"No."_

_"Is he related to you in any way?"_

_"No!"_

_"Then why were you holding hands with him?" His mama demanded._

_"Because he's pretty. And I love him."_

_Mama grabbed his arm and pulled him closer. "Don't ever say that again. You cannot love another boy. It's wrong. Do you understand?"_

_Nico nodded, a sinking feeling in his gut._

* * *

Nico woke up and searched for his sword, like usual. He couldn't find it. 

It took him a moment, but he noticed the blinding white walls and the medical equipment on the table next to him. He remembered that he was in the infirmary, and no weapons were allowed. 

Nico lay back down, willing his heart to stop beating out of his chest. Just another nightmare. He didn't remember anything before the River Lethe, but he had a feeling that dream had actually happened.

Nico sat up and looked around the room. The walls were white, with three doors. There was the door he came in, and two by the other wall. 

Nico walked over and opened one. It turned out to be a storage closet. _Boring._

The other was a bathroom. Nico smiled slightly. Much more helpful.

* * *

When Will came back to find Nico sitting up in bed with his hair freshly washed (and really, really fluffy), he almost died. He was wearing the same black skinny jeans as before, but he also had on a camp shirt that was way too big for him. He looked absolutely adorable.

"Whose shirt is that?"

Nico jumped and shoved something underneath his bed. "I-Percy's. He came in a second ago to ask about my cru--about my health. I bribed him into getting me a shirt."

The ADHD part of Will wondered if Nico was shirtless while he waited for Percy. Will told that part to shut up.

"What did you hide?"

Nico furrowed his brow in confusion. "What?"

"You shoved something under the bed. What was it?"

Nico flushed. "Nothing."

"Uh-huh. Sure." 

Will walked over and set the plate of food he was carrying on the table beside the bed. He crouched down to look underneath the bed and caught sight of a piece of paper. He went to grab it.

"No!" Nico tried to reach past him, but Will had already stood and was looking at the paper.

It was a drawing, or at least part of one. And it was unmistakably of Will, from the messy thick hair, to the freckles across his nose, to his eyes. Well, eye. The other wasn't fully drawn yet. In the drawing, Will looked angry.

"When was this?" Will asked Nico, not looking away from the drawing.

"Octavian. You called him an... _anemic loser,_ I think. I don't know what that means," Nico said quietly. He was looking down at his lap.

Will looked up at him and grinned. "Neither did he. Finish it?"

Nico looked up at him with wide eyes. "What?"

"Finish the drawing."

"I..." Nico shook his head reluctantly, like it wasn't really what he wanted to do and someone was forcing him to say no.

"I want to see what I'll look like," Will said.

Nico hesitantly took the paper from Will's hand. He picked up the pencil from where he'd discarded it on the bed and began outlining the other eye. Will watched him eagerly.

"Why aren't you weirded out?" Nico asked quietly after a few seconds of silence.

Will stared at him in shock. "Why would I be weirded out? You can draw. What's so weird about that?"

"No, I mean..." He paused, focusing on getting the angle of Will's eye right. He stuck his tongue between his teeth and squinted, making his face scrunch up adorably. "I mean that I drew _you._ It's just... I... nightmare. Drawing good memories... helps. Distracts me. Sorry."

Will made eye-contact with Nico as he glanced up. "Don't apologize for being human. Whatever helps. Plus," Will added as Nico handed over the finished drawing, "you make me look good. I'm told it's difficult."

"You do most of the work on your own. S'not that hard," Nico mumbled, flushing adorably. Will almost melted.

"Why is this a good memory for you? Octavian was being a jerk."

"You defended me. It's... that's rare."

They sat in comfortable silence for a little longer.

"Still unwilling to take off your shirt?" Will asked hesitantly, not wanting to start another argument.

Nico's expression soured. "Yes. Next?"

Will sighed. "Paperwork. You'd prefer that?"

"Over taking off my shirt? Yeah, I would."

"Fine. It's _your_ funeral. Let me get a blank patient file."

"There's some in the storage closet," Nico blurted.

Will paused on his way to the door. "What?"

"There's blank patient files... in that storage closet." Nico pointed towards a door Will hadn't noticed when he'd picked the room.

"How did you know that?" Will opened the door and sure enough, one of the shelves had a stack of blank files. He also spotted more ambrosia and nectar and made a mental note of it. After the war, they were running low.

"Um, Will?"

"Yeah?" He turned around with a file in his hand and found Nico staring at him.

"Sorry, I... sorry." Nico held up the drawing and turned it around to show Will the back. He must've taken a blank file to draw on, because Will immediately recognized the format, even from several feet away.

"Nico, it's fine. We have tons."

Will came over and sat on the bed next to Nico, stealing the pencil from the smaller boy's hand.

"What's your last name?"

Nico didn't answer. Will glanced up. Nico was glaring down at his lap guiltily.

"Nico. Look at me." Nico's gaze flickered up to meet his hesitantly. "If you draw that well, you can borrow a blank file any time. Seriously, Nico. It's not a big deal. And your drawings are amazing. I'll sacrifice one of our hundreds of files that we can easily print more of for one of your drawings, any day."

Nico's mouth twitched up slightly, and Will was _gone._

"What's your last name?"

Nico rolled his eyes. "Di Angelo. You know this, Will."

"It's required. Godly parent?"

"Seriously?"

"Gender identity?"

" _Male._ Can you skip to things you don't know?"

"I don't want to assume that I know your gender! That's wrong!"

_"Will."_

"Fine, fine. Uh...place of birth?"

"Italy." Nico had grabbed another blank file before Will started asking questions and was now sketching out Will's face again as the son of Apollo interrogated him.

"Whoa, really?"

 _"Will._ My last name is literally _'di Angelo'_. "

"Shut up. Age?"

" _That_ is a complicated question, Solace."

"How is that a complicated question?!"

"Ever heard of the Greek gods? Everything's complicated in our lives." Nico glanced up at Will. "I was in The Lotus Hotel and Casino for several decades."

"...When were you born?"

Nico shrugged. "1930s. I don't know the exact year. Hades says my birthday is January 28th, though."

"Thanks, that was my next question. Oh, this is my favourite part. You ready? We have to get your height and weight. Come on, there's a scale in the bathroom."

* * *

When Will stood and started walking towards the bathroom, Nico panicked. He'd checked his weight when he'd taken a shower and didn't know much except that it wasn't high enough. 

"Will, no. I'm fine. Perfectly healthy."

Will snorted, opening the bathroom door and walking in. "Sure you are. Prove it, then."

He left and came back a couple seconds later with a tape measure. "Height first. Stand against the door."

Nico reluctantly stood still while Will measured his height.

The son of Apollo gave him a look. "Stop slouching."

"I'm not slouching!"

"You totally are. You're straight up brooding."

Nico rolled his eyes. "Are you done yet?"

Will let the tape measure snap closed and patted Nico on the head. "It's okay to be small, Death Boy."

"I am not small! You're just tall! And older than me!"

"I thought your age was a complicated question?"

Nico muttered angrily at him as Will put the tape measure back in the storage closet where he'd found it.

"Time for your weight," Will sing-songed.

Nico paled. Will didn't seem to notice. Will walked him over to the digital scale and helped him step on, even though it was less than a half-step up. He made sure Nico's weight was evenly balanced, before bending down and flicking on the power.

It was quiet for a moment as the scale flickered between numbers. 

There was a pause, and then...

"There's no way that's right. It must be broken."

Nico stepped off the scale, feeling uncomfortable. Will took his place, staring down at the number as it shot up.

"116. That's right." His face scrunched up in confusion. "Nico, go back."

Nico self-consciously stepped back into the scale as Will stepped off. He waited with bated breath.

"No freaking way. There is no way in Hades that you only way seventy-eight pounds."

"Will..."

The son of Apollo wasn't listening. "C'mon. We're checking that again."

Will walked away before he could argue. Nico jogged to catch up. Will led him into another private room, which, luckily, was empty. He walked straight to the scale in the bathroom and looked at Nico expectantly.

"Will..."

"On the scale, Nico."

Nico walked over and stood on the scale, mad at himself for freaking Will out. They both stared at the numbers. When it settled on seventy-eight again, Will cursed, running a hand through his hair. He said nothing as he led Nico back to the other room.

Nico sat on his bed again, resuming his drawing to take his mind off of the way Will was pacing back and forth and running his hands through his hair.

"Are you mad at me?" Nico asked in a small voice.

Will sighed. "No. Not really. If I'm being honest, I'm really, really scared."

"Why?" Nico asked, baffled.

"Because it's a miracle that you're even alive!" Will softened his tone when Nico flinched. "You're almost fifty pounds underweight. I don't know... I don't know how you're alive. And I'm scared I won't be able to help you."

"Will, I'm fine." That was the wrong thing to say.

"No! _No,_ Nico! Stop _saying_ that! You're not okay! You're not okay, and...and I don't know how to _fix you_."

 _'How to fix you'._ Not _'how to help you'._ That's all he wanted, was to fix Nico, not to actually help him. "Well, I'm sorry to be a burden."

"Shut up!" Will screamed. "SHUT UP! Just shut up! Stop with the thinking you're nothing. Stop with the thinking you're a burden. Just...stop it!"

Will threw his arms down by his sides in frustration. He winced, grabbing at his bicep with one hand.

"Will?" Nico called, concerned.

"S'nothing, Nico. Sorry, I'm fine. My arm has just been hurting for a while."

Will sighed and walked over to Nico. He handed him the plate of food he'd gotten earlier. "Eat this, Nico."

"All of it?"

Will glanced down at the plate. "Yes, all of it."

"This is a lot."

"Just eat it, Nico."

Will sighed, leaning back on the bed and covering his eyes with an arm. Nico ate quietly for a few minutes, though he wasn't hungry at all.

After a few seconds, Nico broke the silence timidly. "I'm sorry, Will."

Will sighed again. "Just finish eating."

Nico shut up and went back to eating. When he felt like he couldn't eat anymore without getting sick, he tried to put the rest aside, but Will seemed to hear the noise and stopped him. 

"Did you eat all of it?" He asked without moving his arm.

"No, but I--"

"You need to eat all of it, Nico."

"But... okay."

Nico reluctantly started trying to eat the eggs Will had brought him.

"Are you not eating on purpose, or did you not have access to food?" Will asked suddenly.

Nico paused. "Sort of both. I have access to food, but I haven't had an appetite since the jar. I survived on pomegranate seeds for almost a week, so naturally, I wasn't hungry. Then before that was Tartarus, and..."

Nico trailed off.

"And?" Will prompted.

"And there wasn't much food there, either. Just monsters, and giants, and liquid fire from the river."

Nico made the mistake of letting himself picture Tartarus. He suddenly stood, tossing the plate aside and running to the bathroom. He heard Will stand up behind him in alarm, but Nico was more focused on dispelling everything inside of him, which was basically the food he'd just eaten and nothing else. Will held his hair back for him as he heaved into the toilet.

When he'd finished making a fool of himself, he stood shakily and washed his hands and face off in the sink.

He stumbled back to the bed, setting his discarded plate on the table. He sat up and hugged his knees to his chest, still feeling sick.

He heard Will wash his hands, too, before coming to sit next to him. Nico couldn't look at him.

"I'm sorry, Will. I tried. I really did."

He had. He really wanted to please Will, though he wasn't entirely sure why.

"Nico, it's okay. None of this is your fault."

"I tried to listen, but I couldn't, I'm sorry," Nico rushed on.

"Nico." They made eye-contact. "This is _my_ fault. I gave you too much food and asked you to eat it all, and then made you talk about bad memories. This is my fault. I'm so sorry, Nico."

"S'okay, Will."

Will stood and grabbed the discarded plate, before leaving the room to get rid of it. Nico appreciated it. He didn't want to look at food for a while if he could help it.

Nico leaned back on the pillows and stared at the ceiling. The werewolf scratches really hurt, but Nico wasn't willing to take off his shirt to get them healed.

Nico sighed and reluctantly let his eyes drift closed.

* * *

Will felt horrible, and he wasn't even the one that got sick. He felt stupid for making Nico eat so much, and he felt useless that he had no idea what to do instead. He... couldn't do this alone, he'd admit it. 

Will paused outside the closed door of Nico's room. Contemplated... contemplated...

"KAYLA," He screamed at the top of his lungs.

His green-haired sister jumped a couple of beds down where she was changing an Aphrodite kid's bandages. Kayla spun around in surprise.

"Will! Oh my gods, Will. _What_ do you need?"

Will walked over to her and bent down to whisper in her ear. "Relationship advice."

Kayla immediately perked up. "Give me five minutes."

* * *

"But what if he doesn't like me back?"

Kayla rolled her eyes and flopped down on one of the couches in the staff room. "It's Nico. He probably doesn't even realise you exist."

Will glared at her. "Not helpful."

"But," she continued, "if he _did,_ there's no way he wouldn't like you back. You guys are so clearly in love. It's gross."

"Rude. But Kayla... what if he does like me back? What then? He's not my soulmate."

Kayla looked up at him in confusion. "How do you know he isn't your soulmate?"

"Because I'm _straight._ "

Kayla stopped and gaped at him. "So _that's_ what this is? You're having a sexuality crisis?"

Will groaned and flopped down on the couch next to Kayla. " _Help._ "

"Dude. _Bro._ MAN. Buddy! What's the _problem?_ It's so obvious Nico likes you. It's so obvious you like him. For all you know, you're soulmates."

"No. No, no, no. Nope. No. We're not soulmates. He's probably straight!"

"He's not straight," Kayla deadpanned.

"Wow. Assuming, much?"

"When you left his room, he stared at your a--"

"He did not!"

Kayla stared at him disbelievingly. "He also confessed to having a crush on Percy. The whole camp's talking about it."

"...Okay, it's possible he's not straight. But we're still not soulmates."

"Will." Kayla leaned forward and grabbed Will's hands in hers. "Even if the universe didn't make you guys soulmates, if you still trust each other and like each other enough, you can still be soulmates." At Will's look of confusion, she elaborated. "You can be soulmates in your own eyes. Forget what the universe thinks. You can still have true love, even if you weren't destined to have it from the start."

Will sighed. "Thanks, Kayla. Gods, why is the universe so confusing?"

"Who knows, big bro? Who knows."

* * *

_It was dark and cold when Nico woke up. His head hurt horribly. He felt incredibly tired, but he had a feeling he'd been out for a while._

_"Get up," Nico heard. He shakily used his arms to push himself up from the hard ground he'd been sleeping on and focused on the person speaking. Well,_ 'person' _was a stretch. He immediately recognized the silvery form of a ghost, and not just any ghost. Minos._

_"Stand, boy. Do you not listen?"_

_Nico stumbled to his feet._

_Minos nodded approvingly. "Are you ready to try again? You almost had it that time." Minos gestured to what Nico recognized as a half-forged Stygian Iron blade. Nico noticed for the first time that they were standing on the edge of the River Styx._

_Nico foolishly tried to reach for the sword, but Minos stopped him._

_"No!"_

_Nico stumbled away, startled._

_"You cannot touch it! Do you have a death wish, boy?" Minos scolded. Nico shook his head timidly. "Then use your powers, as I taught you. My gods, you've learned nothing!"_

_Anger filled Nico. He concentrated his energy, his focus, his powers, his very **being,** on lifting the Stygian Iron and plunging it into the River Styx. He heard Minos yelp in surprise, but Nico was passed out before he could see if it'd worked._

* * *

_"Get up," Nico heard for the second time. He groggily sat up. Minos held out a fully-formed Stygian Iron sword._

_"It worked," Minos informed. Nico thought he saw a hint of a smile._

_"What about your promise? A soul for a soul. You **promised.** " It was the first words he'd said since he first woke up by the River Styx._

_"Yes, yes. With this sword, we will get your sister back. All in good time. For now, rest. Tomorrow, I will teach you to use the shadows to travel."_

_Nico grinned. Finally, he would have his sister back._

* * *

After getting Kayla's advice, Will went back to working in the main infirmary room. He was almost _positive_ that Nico had fallen asleep after he left, so Will decided to check on him again later. Will was stitching up a gash on a Hermes kid's leg when an intense wave of pure fear shoot through him, and he had no idea why.

"Will, your hands are shaking..." Kayla pointed out, sounding concerned.

"I... Kayla, finish this up for me. Please. I need to... I need to go check on Nico."

Kayla nodded gravely. Will shakily stood and quickly washed the blood off of his hands, heading straight to Nico's room when he'd finished. Something was wrong. Something was very wrong. And Will had a horrible feeling it had something to do with Nico.

* * *

Nico was shaking, and he couldn't stop. 

He felt cold.

Too cold.

He was curled up in the fetal position and couldn't seem to move.

He couldn't breathe.

_HE COULDN'T BREATHE._

_**HE COULDN'T BREATHE.** _

A face appeared next to him.

Will.

Nico heard Will say something.

He had no idea what.

Will's expression became more and more panicked.

Nico saw him mouthing the word 'BREATHE' again and again.

But he couldn't.

_He couldn't do it._

**HE COULDN'T BREATHE.**

His vision was going dark.

Will said something else, but Nico couldn't hear that either.

He still couldn't breathe.

Will was trying to help.

He couldn't.

Will said he wanted to help him.

Will _lied._

Nico had been such a fool, following Minos without question.

He should never have trusted Minos.

He should never have trusted _Will._

He should never have trusted _**anyone.**_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Headcanons of this chapter:  
> 1) Nico's a brilliant artist.  
> 2) Kayla's a supportive QUEEN  
> 3) Minos is the root of Nico's trust issues.
> 
> GUESS WHO WROTE SEVERAL THOUSAND WORDS?!?!?!  
> I DID!!!!!!!!  
> Sorry 'bout the wait :)


	3. In Which Nico Has Many Problems, Will Doesn't Know How To Fix Them, And Everything Is Generally Pretty Angsty

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "What's wrong?" Jason asked Will.
> 
> "I think Nico had a nightmare. And then he woke up and went straight into a panic attack. And he couldn't breathe and he passed out and I couldn't help him, and gods, Jason, what's wrong with me?"
> 
> Jason shifted closer to him, gently grabbing Will's face so he would look at him.
> 
> "There's nothing wrong with you. Every single demigod in the world messes up the thing that they're supposed to be the best at."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And also in which I challenge myself to torture Rick's characters and then undoubtedly end up with fluff sprinkled in because we all know I can't be so mean to my babies
> 
> Possible TW's for this chapter:  
> —*****Relatively graphic descriptions of panic attacks*****  
> —Mentions of death  
> —Mentions of nightmares/insomnia  
> —An overload of sadness and angst, to be followed by a chapter of fluff, I PROMISE
> 
> Some Italian in this chapter, but it's just in italics, because let's face it, not many people reading this will be able to speak Italian.
> 
> *****IMPORTANT NOTE; PLEASE READ*****  
> I have updated the summary of this fic as I get a better idea of where I want this story to go. If the new plot doesn't sound like your thing, I'm not gonna be offended if you unsubscribe, stop reading, etc. Just read what you please! But if you do decide to continue, your support means everything to me and I can't thank you enough. Love you guys! <3

Will didn't know how to help. 

It scared him. Helping was _literally_ his job. But all of his medical training went out the window when he saw Nico like that. Frozen, not breathing, and gods, the look in his eyes... he just looked so... _betrayed._

Will shivered, and not from the cold New York night. The minute Kayla had noticed his breathing turning ragged, she'd sent him away, knowing exactly how helpful Will was mid-panic-attack. And that was completely, entirely useless.

So now he stood, trembling, on the steps of the Big House, hoping not to be found by the harpies.

Will was positive she meant for him to go to the Apollo cabin, but there was no way in Hades that he would leave without knowing what happened to Nico. Without knowing if he woke up. If he was breathing again. Would Kayla be able to handle it? What if Nico woke up? Would Kayla know not to try to touch him? Will knew he hated that. Oh gods, what if Nico left? What if he ran? What if he shadow-traveled away? What if that's what Hades' kids did when they were in trouble? What if Nico was gone? What if Will never saw him again? What if he--

"Will?"

Will jumped, unsure of when exactly he'd sat down on the porch steps, and even more unsure of why Jason Grace was staring down at him.

"Hello, I... hello," Will stumbled out, struggling to stand, staring at Jason in awe.

Friendly or not, Grace was still a hero of the prophecy, and therefore infinite times more important than Will. But before Will could even find his footing, much less bow or whatever the Hades he was planning to do, Jason waved a hand at him dismissively and plopped down on the steps next to him. Will hesitantly sat back down.

"What are you doing?" Jason asked after several awkward moments of silence where Will just kind of sat there desperately hoping not to panic in front of a hero.

"I... don't really know?" He hadn't meant for it to be a question, but nonetheless, it was true. But Jason nodded like that was a perfectly rational reason to be freezing on the Big House porch at night.

"Are you cold?"

"Not really."

Jason raised an eyebrow in amusement. "Really? Because you're trembling."

"Oh. Um, yeah, that's not really from the cold."

Something about Will's tone made Jason's face scrunch up in worry. "Is something wrong?"

"Sort of. Not really. I... don't know. It's just... Nico--"

Jason shot to his feet. "Is he hurt? What are you doing out here? Go heal him! Go, Solace!"

Will reached up and wordlessly pulled Jason back down. "He's not really... physically hurt."

"Oh my gods, Will, did you say something? Did a god appear? Is it Cupid again? Is--"

"He's fine! Why would Eros--wait, again?"

Jason tensed. "I wasn't... supposed to tell you that. Ignore that. Wait, so Nico's fine?" He turned to face Will, going full protective-friend mode. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm good."

Jason eyed him critically. "No, you're not," he decided. "Did Nico reject you?"

"Oh my gods, Grace, no, why?! No, I don't even have a crush on Nico, what the heck?"

Jason gave him a look, like, _Whatever helps you sleep at night._ "Then what's wrong?" 

"I think he had a nightmare. And then he woke up and went straight into a panic attack. And he couldn't breathe and he passed out and I couldn't help him and gods, Jason, what's wrong with me?"

Jason shifted closer to him, gently grabbing Will's face so he would look at him.

"There's nothing wrong with you. Every single demigod in the world messes up the thing that they're supposed to be the best at. I was flying once when we were on the Argo II, and my job was to fight these storm spirits. And I passed out because I forgot to hold my breath when I killed the last one. I fell from the sky and almost hit the ocean with enough force to die. I'm supposed to be _good_ at flying. It's, like, my thing. And I messed up and almost faced the consequences. And Percy almost drowned in a river while he and Annabeth were in Tartarus--"

"While they were WHAT?!" If Jason was trying to distract him from thinking of Nico, it was working.

"Yeah, Percy jumped for his girl. Real cute. Piper's always telling me I should do stuff like that for her, but it's not like I wouldn't if I had to, but she-- sorry. My _point_ is, Percy needed someone to talk to and he told me about Tartarus once. And he almost gave up and let himself drown in a river. River as in water, as in Poseidon. As in--"

"Yes, I get it. I swear to the gods, you people make my job so much harder by not actually telling people when you're injured. I'm making Percy and Annabeth come to the infirmary next time I see them. Maybe not for three days, though."

Jason smirked. "Yeah, that special treatment is just for your boy." Will opened his mouth to argue, but Jason ignored him. "Piper once got beautied up by Aphrodite and had unremovable make-up and hair for days. She absolutely loathed it. Frank has this awesome thing where he can turn into animals, but one of the main things we make fun of him for is turning into an iguana once. Hazel died underground, which is supposed to be her specialty."

"She died? How does that work?"

"That's not important. And Leo... he died in an explosion. Hephaestus is the god of fire. But he still... he still died." Jason went quiet.

Will wrapped an arm around Jason in sympathy. Jason raised an eyebrow at him.

"You looked cold." Will shrugged.

"Okay," Jason said gratefully.

They sat there for a couple more minutes, comforting each other, until Will broke the silence.

"You don't know for sure that Leo's gone. He might be doing some stupid, reckless, Leo-y thing that's just... taking a while. And if and when he gets here, I promise you I will heal the hell out of him. And you can do the yelling."

Jason let out a laugh. "Okay. Thank you, Will."

"Don't mention it."

The peaceful moment was ruined by a shout from the infirmary that both boys immediately recognized as Nico's voice. Will and Jason both shot to their feet, but Jason forced Will to stay while he ran inside to see what happened.

Will sat down on the steps again, back to panicking without Jason to calm him down. The worry and the fear were at the front of his mind, but somewhere deeper he felt an emotion that wasn't his. It was almost... frustration. That was his soulmate's, for sure. Will worried for her.

"WILL!" That was Nico's voice.

Will ran into the infirmary, ignoring Jason's orders. He went straight to Nico's room and found Jason already there. That wasn't what drew his attention, though.

Nico was awake and sitting up, his eyes filled with tears and his entire body visibly shaking. He was saying something desperately to Jason, and the poor son of Jupiter was sitting there helplessly and trying to make sure Nico didn't try to run.

"Will..." Nico had just noticed him in the doorway. "Will, _Jason isn't helping at all._ "

"I can't understand him!" Jason told him desperately.

 _Nico was speaking Italian._ And Will knew what he was saying because Italian was the language of music and Will's dad was Apollo and... maybe Will wasn't totally useless after all.

"He said that you're, uh, not helping."

Nico stared at Will. "Why doesn't Jason understand me?" he asked angrily.

"I heard my name," Jason said, his eyebrows creased in confusion.

"Jason, Nico asked why you don't understand him," Will explained.

" _I can't stay here,_ " Nico muttered, not bothering to wait for an answer to his question. " _I need to leave._ "

"No, Nico, wait--"

But the son of Hades was gone, melting into the shadows.

* * *

Of all the places Nico expected to emerge, the Underworld was unlikely. Yet, somehow, something in the back of his mind registered a need to _get away, get away right now and don't look back._

Now that he was alone, his panic was unleashing itself full-force, which was both a blessing and a curse. On one hand, no one was there to witness his breakdown. On the other hand, no one was there to help, either.

Whatever. It's not like he hadn't dealt with panic attacks before.

Okay, he'll admit it-- calming down would take a little longer than normal.

Nico frantically ran his hands through his hair, mostly just as something to do. Something to distract himself with.

And that was when all of his progress was reset, because he realised that, beyond somewhere in the Underworld, he had no idea where he was. _What if I'm near Tartarus...?_

The thought barely had time to manifest itself before he caught sight of a pile of grey cloth messily thrown in the corner of whatever room he was in.

Nico breathed out in relief. Those were his bed sheets, thrown around from the last time he'd packed up in a hurry and left his father's palace (without permission, of course). Which meant that he was in his bedroom in Hades' palace.

The downside was that his father would know he was here. Hades had guards everywhere, and it was only a matter of time before he was called before his father.

The time limit did not help him calm down.

Desperate times call for desperate measures.

Nico took a deep breath (and then ten more) and stood from where he'd fallen to his knees. He snatched up his sheets from the floor and tossed them on the bed, mindlessly arranging them into a nest-like shape. Then he yanked open the top drawer of his nightstand and rummaged around for his sketchpad. He found it in the back and pulled it out, along with a pencil. He curled up inside his blanket nest, his breathing already evening out just from setting everything up.

Nico's hands only shook sightly as he hovered his hand over the paper, debating what to draw.

* * *

A knock on the door broke him out of his trance. Nico jumped, accidentally making a jagged, ugly black line across Hazel's face. Nico breathed out in frustration, flipping the pencil to its eraser and attempting to salvage the drawing.

"Who is it?" he called, not looking up.

"Your darling stepmother, Niccolò."

Nico rolled his eyes. "What do you want, Persephone?"

Persephone huffed, entering the room and ignoring Nico's noise of protest. "Payment."

Nico exhaled, pausing trying to erase the line. He flipped to a different page and tore it out, handing it to Persephone without even looking. "I need another for camp."

Persephone raised an eyebrow, reaching out to take the page. "You filled it already?"

Nico dismissed the question. "Can you get it from Hades?"

"Of course." Persephone examined the drawing.

Nico wasn't entirely sure that either of them had ever vocalized what their deal was, but they did this every time. 

Before the Battle of Manhattan, when Nico was essentially homeless, he spent some time in the Underworld. It was then that he discovered how much he enjoyed drawing. He found himself... practicing, he supposed the word was, different methods and styles. He kept his finished (or abandoned) drawings under his bed. Unfortunately, he made the mistake of not taking them with him when he went to fight in the war. Persephone, bored in the Underworld with her husband off fighting, went exploring and stumbled across Nico's art. She'd cornered him the next time he was in the Underworld, drawings in hand. Nico had been all ready to make some excuse, or flat out deny the existence of paper, but Persephone had cut him off.

She had proceeded to rant about the awful quality of the paper he was using ("It's the _Underworld_ , Persephone--") and how, "If they're going to cut down my trees, at least they'll go to good use; mother of Zeus, I don't understand mortals".

She'd shaken the drawings in his face and told him, with a mad glint in her eyes, that she would get him a sketchpad that would rival that of the Nine Muses. Nico's eyes widened and he shook his head wildly, snatching his drawings back and trying to hide them behind his back. But Persephone had only huffed, rolled her eyes, and assured him that it would cost hardly nothing. Then she'd disappeared without another word.

Nico had stayed in the Underworld for several days after that, wondering what herculean favour Persephone would ask of him. He knew Hades must've been confused, since he usually only ever stayed in the Underworld for a night, at most. But he didn't have to wait too long.

Persephone had entered Nico's bedroom (without knocking, of course) carrying a dozen different brands of expensive sketchpads, along with designer pencils and ink pens that were probably worth much more than Nico. She'd deposited everything on the bed next to a stunned Nico and firmly told him to draw something for her walls. According to her, she'd been asking Hades to redecorate for ages (literally), but he'd never agreed. So Persephone had become desperate (the only logical explanation), and sought out Nico.

Ever since then, as long as Nico brought at least one drawing for Persephone every time he visited the Underworld, Persephone would supply him with anything he needed for his art. 

Nico was almost positive that Hades knew. After all, Persephone hung most of his drawings in hers and Hades' bedroom. But he figured Hades was keeping quiet. It wasn't as though Nico was wasting Hades money, either, seeing as being the god of wealth came with unlimited money.

For this particular visit, Nico had played it safe and gone with a flowery, springtime-y, sunshine-y... _something_. He wasn't quite sure what it was, honestly. He'd started it because he'd found one of the feathers Piper always braided into her hair. It was pale pink at the tip, fading into a deep blue at the base. When Piper had caught him looking at it, she'd wordlessly handed him two more. One was a fiery red, orange, and yellow mix, while the other was green and purple swirled together. Nico had lined them up on a table in his cabin and stared at them for a while, before finally pulling out his sketchbook, knowing it was the best way to get the image to stop floating around his head. (It didn't help that he'd recently found out the symbol for people like him was a rainbow.)

He'd had no expectations when he'd started drawing, but the end product had been some sickeningly colourful abstract pattern that he kind-of-sort-of liked, and immediately thought Persephone might, too.

"You really out-did yourself this time, Nico," Persephone breathed, brushing a fingertip over the colours. He hadn't been sure about them; most of his drawings were normally in black and white, but he ending up going with it eventually.

Persephone cleared her throat, reaching up to brush-- was she _crying?_ Nico rolled his eyes. "It's not _that_ good."

"You are too hard on yourself." Persephone tore her eyes away from the drawing, walking toward the door. "I will get you that sketchbook. Anything else?"

Nico glanced away, biting his lip hesitantly. "Maybe some colour ink pens?"

He was pushing his luck, but Persephone just gave him an understanding smile, maternal instincts kicking in. "The gel ones from Italy?"

Nico nodded carefully, wondering if she was making fun of him.

"I wonder why you'd pick those."

Nico hummed, not looking at her. "Please?"

Persephone chuckled, opening the door to leave. "I'll see what I can do, Niccolò."

Nico rolled his eyes and flipped back to the drawing of Hazel that he'd been working on, wanting to finish it before he shadow-traveled back to camp.

* * *

Will groaned, flopping down on Nico's bed. He hung his head in his hands.

He heard Jason step closer hesitantly. "Will?"

"Don't talk to me right now. I'm thinking."

Jason sighed, and Will could practically hear him rolling his eyes. "He's fine, Will."

"I said don't talk!"

Jason flopped down next to Will and sighed again, but kept quiet.

If Nico had shadow-traveled away, he was probably either in the Hades cabin or the Underworld. Or maybe Camp Jupiter, but Will wasn't too worried if that was the case. He knew that Nico had friends and family to take care of him there. But if he went somewhere else...

Jason cleared his throat. Will spared him a glance. The son of Jupiter was staring at him, expression clearly saying, 'Am I allowed to talk yet?'

"Nico's in the Underworld," Jason told him after getting a sarcastic, 'Go ahead' from Will. "He hates the Hades cabin. He would never go there willingly, especially not when he's upset."

Will slumped. "So what do we do?"

Jason shrugged. "Nothing. Wait it out. He'll come back."

"How can you be sure?"

"Because I know Nico."

Will swallowed down a flare of jealousy. "Hmm," he huffed, unimpressed.

Jason reached out and put a calming hand on Will's shoulder. "Will, Nico's going to come back. I promise you."

Will sighed and leaned forward, hugging his knees. "I guess."

He could feel Jason's sympathetic gaze on his back. "Will. For the first time in years, Nico has something to come home to. He won't leave that behind."

Will stared at his hands. He wasn't sure if it was the thought of how awful Nico's past was, or the helplessness he felt constantly, but tears sprang to his eyes. He sniffled and rubbed at his face. _Not now_.

He took a deep shuddering breath. He turned to Jason, who was looking at something in his hands.

"Hey, what's this? A patient file?" Jason asked, studying the paper for a second, before flipping it over. He gasped." _Will_."

Will leaned forward, looking at the paper. He gasped, too.

Jagged lines filled the page. An olive-skinned girl who looked a bit like Nico filled most of the page. She was beautiful, but her expression was jarring. She stared back at them with eyes full of fear, but also something else Will could only call defeat. She was kneeling with her head bowed ever so slightly, like she was being evaluated or judged.

"Give me that." Will grabbed the drawing from Jason and looked closer, hoping to find something he'd missed.

"There!" Jason pointed at the background of the picture.

Will had dismissed it as lines of scenery at first, but looking closer, Will recognized the vague shapes of people faintly drawn. They stood in lines, looking blankly at the girl.

Jason pointed to something else, and Will followed his finger. Stalactites hung from the top of the picture. Between two, only one word was written. _Trial._

"It's the Underworld," Will realised. "It's... the spirits being evaluated. Is that... Nico's sister?"

"Oh my gods," Jason breathed, peering over Will's shoulder. "It's Bianca getting evaluated after her death. How did... how does Nico know what that looked like? Can he sense it?"

Will didn't answer. He just stared at the paper, studying it. Eventually, he cleared his throat. "Where did you find this?"

"Sticking out slightly in Nico's pillowcase," Jason answered, sounding shocked.

Will grabbed Nico's pillow and shook it. He gasped as several more papers fluttered onto the sheets. The two demigods grabbed for them.

Will studied the one in his hand. "This is... Reyna, right?"

Jason glanced over and nodded, before looking away again.

The Reyna that Nico had drawn had a knife to her throat. A boy Will didn't recognize held it there, grinning evilly. Will could practically feel the anger that Nico had felt during that moment, and Will barely knew the Praetor. _Rage_ , Nico's handwriting confirmed.

Jason nudged him, breaking his trance. "Look."

Jason held up two more pictures, one of them featuring Hazel. She was laying in someone's arms. Their face wasn't drawn. The scene was drawn from the eyes of the person holding Hazel, so Will assumed it was Nico, since he'd drawn it. Hazel's head was lolling back, face devoid of any colour. One of Nico's disembodied hands cradled her cheek gently. _War_.

"It's Nico seeing another of his sisters gone," Will realised, horrified.

Jason only shook his head sadly. "Look at the other one."

Will shifted his gaze. The other drawing was of Percy and Annabeth. The two dangled over a pit, holding each other by the hand. Nico's pale hand was reaching toward them, but not far enough. _Useless._

Jason wordlessly dropped the picture of Hazel and held up another that neither boy had grabbed when it had first fallen out of the pillow. A boy and a girl held each other tightly underneath Thalia's tree on Half-Blood Hill, their faces filled with joy. The drawing looked down at them, some branches framing the tree. It was Percy and Annabeth again, in a much happier situation. Yet the picture carried a certain sadness to it. _Longing_ , was the caption.

Will let out a breath he didn't know he'd been holding. He looked up at Jason heavily. "When would he have had time to draw these? He's only been back at camp for a few days."

Jason seemed to tear his eyes away from the drawings. Will realised with a start that he might not have known Nico could draw. "I know he didn't sleep the night after... you know... Leo. He was awake when I went to talk to him."

"You think he draws at night when he can't sleep?"

"I think he draws at night _because_ he can't sleep."

Will didn't know how to respond to that.

"I've never seen Nico draw before," Jason continued. "And yet... there are so many..."

Jason stood from the bed. He reached out a hand to Will. "Help me lift the mattress."

"What? You think there's more?"

Jason averted the question. "He's obviously trying to hide it. What better hiding place than under his mattress?"

Will shook his head. "Nah. That's too obvious. Nico would have to be stupid."

Jason sighed. "Well, where do _you_ suggest?"

Will made his way across the room. "In the nightstand drawer. Or in the closet."

Jason muttered something about Nico having a thing for closets, but joined Will. He swung open the door and glanced inside. "Nope."

Will frowned. "The nightstand?"

Jason walked over to the drawer and pulled it open. He looked up at Will and shook his head. "Empty."

Will walked over to the mattress and braced himself. Jason joined him. "Ready? On three."

They lifted at two, both too impatient to wait.

Will cocked his head in confusion. "Maybe we missed something?"

Jason shrugged, the movement awkward from the way he held the mattress up. He kicked at Will's leg. "Move."

Will got out of his way, letting go of the mattress in confusion.

With the tiniest grunt of effort, Jason tossed the mattress over his shoulder. It landed on the floor with a quiet thump, inches away from Will's foot. 

"What did you even need my help for?!" Will complained.

Jason didn't answer. He took a quick glanced at the frame of the bed. Noting the absence of papers, he brushed his hands off casually, walking back over to the closet.

Will rolled his eyes. "Stupid sons of Jupiter."

Jason just scoffed, motioning Will over.

Jason scanned the shelves for a second, before turning back to Will with a grin. "Oh, he's smart."

Will raised an eyebrow, debating between, _"Duh,"_ and _"How so?"_ He didn't get time for either, because Jason pulled a stack of papers from a shelf in the closet. 

He waved them in front of Will's face, before plopping down on the floor and examining the papers.

"Uh... Jason? Those are just patient files."

Jason didn't bother looking up. "I know. They're also Nico's drawings."

_"Oh."_

Jason flipped over the top paper and grinned triumphantly. His expression sobered when he took a closer look. Leaning over to see, Will understood why.

It was another of Hazel in someone's arms, but this time the person holding her was Frank. The son of Mars, usually unagressive and kind to everyone, was glaring back at them. His expression said, _"This is your fault."_ The title of the drawing was, "Katoblephones."

"I wonder what happened..." Jason murmured.

"Katoblephones are a kind of monster," Will whispered. "Maybe Hazel was attacked."

Jason didn't answer.

"I'll check the closet for more," Will told him, standing.

"You won't find any," A voice said angrily from the doorway of the room. "The rest are in a sketchpad in my cabin. These are just the ones I did here. There's a few more in that stack that Jason is staring guiltily down at." Nico glared at them. "Why would you go looking for my drawings?! Those are mine!"

Jason stood and tried to walk closer. "Nico--"

"Save it. Get out." Nico pointed to the door.

Jason sighed. He started to leave the room.

"And Grace?"

Jason turned, only to be slammed against the wall and pinned inches off the floor by Nico's arm at his throat. His blue eyes dilated in fear. "N-Nico?"

"Shut up." The shadows in the room started creeping towards Nico. "You're one of very few people that I don't want to see hurt, Grace. You messed that up." Nico glared at him. "If you ever give me a reason to, I won't hesitate to... to..."

Nico's eyes widened. He gasped in horror as Jason's lips started to turn blue. He let go of Jason and curled his hand up to his chest, shaking at the realisation of what he'd done. 

Jason fell to his knees, gasping for breath. Despite still recovering, he waved his hand at Nico, who was choking out a stream of apologies and concern. 

"I'm okay," Jason gasped out, "It's okay, you didn't mean to--"

Nico just kept babbling out apologies and repeatedly asking if Jason was okay. He finally paused and took a breath. He turned to Will, who had been frozen, watching the scene unfold. Nico pointed a shaking finger at Jason. _"Fix him."_ Then he disappeared again in the shadows.

Will barely had time to wonder where he went before the bathroom door slammed shut. Will heard the unmistakable sound of the lock clicking, before all he could hear was Jason, still gasping for breath, and muffled sobs coming from behind the bathroom door.

* * *

He'd wanted to shadow-travel back to the Underworld, or maybe to his cabin, but he couldn't bring himself to leave without making sure Jason was okay.

_You almost killed your friend._

Nico flinched. Normally, he'd be grabbing paper and a pen by now, but there was none in the bathroom.

_All because you can't be honest with him._

Nico sat down with his back to the door and began sobbing into his knees.

_He probably already knows by now. He probably saw your drawing of Percy and Annabeth and he **knows.**_

Mind hazy, Nico allowed himself to do what he normally didn't-- think back to when he still hated Percy.

He'd been so _stupid_. He spent every night dreaming and wishing Percy was his soulmate. He'd frantically asked ghosts if it was possible to hate the one you were destined to love, because maybe then he'd understand why this _hurt so much_. He'd tortured himself, loving the way that Percy Jackson made him feel, but hating the way he had no choice in the matter.

He thought back to when he'd first heard about Percy and Annabeth's legendary underwater kiss. The whole camp was buzzing about it.

_Travis Stoll had wolf-whistled at them. "How do you feel?" his brother asked the couple, wiggling his eyebrows._

_"Awesome," Percy told them, grinning._

_Annabeth had a puzzled look on her face. "I feel... weird."_

_Chiron nodded, smiling at them. "That's just you getting used to having a soulmate."_

_"A soulmate..." Annabeth whispered, in awe._

_Percy looked confused now. "But Annabeth's kissed me before!" he blurted._

_The both flushed at the confession._

_Chiron smiled knowingly. "Yes. But this is your first true kiss. It's your first kiss as soulmates."_

_"So what, the one in the Labyrinth wasn't magical enough?" Annabeth asked curiously._

_"I thought it was magical," Percy grumbled._

_"Neither one of you were in love yet," Clarisse told them gruffly, but her lips quirked up. "It was just a stupid crush."_

_"But now we're in love," Annabeth said._

_"But now we're in love," Percy confirmed, flushing._

Nico's tears had dried up. He tilted his head back against the door, listening to the chaos on the other side.

Except... he couldn't hear anything. Not even Will walking around the room.

Then suddenly, he couldn't see anything either, and he couldn't feel anything except air swirling around him. His body became weightless, and suddenly, he wasn't in the bathroom anymore.

* * *

He first became aware of whispering. Voices around him, and as he became more aware of his surroundings, he realised he was collapsed on the floor.

He stumbled to his feet. Looking around for the voices, he gasped. "Father?"

Hades ignored him. When the god of the Underworld continued speaking in hushed tones to his wife, Nico realised neither god could see nor hear him.

"All I'm saying is that they ought to be told their saviours are alive," Persephone was telling her husband placantingly.

"Alive, but still stuck in Tartarus," Hades grumbled. A shiver went down Nico's spine at the word. "You know as well as I do that Percy would jump back in to save them."

Nico tilted his head in confusion. Who was so important that Percy would go back to Hell for?

"And Annabeth would go back with him," Persephone argued. "And they'd make it out alive again."

"But what if they didn't? You _know_ Poseidon would have my head if I was the cause for his son's death."

"What if they didn't go?" Persephone suggested. "What if someone else went instead?"

Hades' voice darkened. "And whom would you suggest in their stead?"

Persephone murmured something that Nico couldn't hear, but he didn't have to wait long to find out what.

"WHAT?! How _dare you_ suggest such a thing? I know you do not like my son very much, but we are _not_ sending him on a suicide mission just because you have an over-inflated sense of empathy!"

Nico gasped. He thought about what it would be like to go back to Tartarus. He wasn't sure he'd survive. But whatever was down there made both Hades and Persephone sure that Percy would go back for it. Nico wondered again what it could be.

"But he could do it," Persephone was arguing when Nico finally managed to focus back in on their conversation. "You know he could. He'd want to, too. He'd go back in a heart-beat, shadow-travel himself down there without bothering to come up with a plan. The second Nico finds out that Damasen and Iapetus have reformed and are stuck in Tartarus--"

Nico didn't hear the rest of her sentence. He collapsed to his knees in shock, gasping for air. They were alive? They couldn't get out on their own-- the Doors of Death were closed-- Percy and Annabeth wouldn't be able to get out-- he would, though-- he could shadow-travel-- he could save them-- but he would have to go back--

Before he could catch anymore of their conversation, that strange feeling of air surrounded him. He screwed his eyes shut until the feeling stopped. When he opened them again, he was sitting with his back to the locked bathroom door, Will Solace's voice coming from the other side, wondering if he ever really left at all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Headcanons of this chapter:  
> —Jason and Will have a strong bromance going  
> —Percy has talked to Jason about Tartarus  
> —Will has anxiety  
> —Persephone and Nico are close(ish), screw canon  
> —Nico switches to Italian when he's upset because it's harder to remember words from another language
> 
> Hey guys, have I mentioned I'm an awful person? Yeah...  
> Sorry for abandoning you for...*checks date* f o u r m o n t h s  
> My only excuse is complete lack of motivation and stress. I usually write when I'm stressed, but writing was stressing me out, so I had to take a break. The good news (I guess??) is that I am now stressed out by other things, so I can write again! Yay, school...


End file.
